Chapter 25: THE HEROINE WHO CAME BACK

Lyria did not return to traveling with Vael immediately.

That mattered.

She stayed in Ashfen for four more days.

So did he.

They ate separately.

Sometimes they spoke.

Sometimes they did not.

Vael helped repair a collapsed irrigation wall because Edran needed workers and refused to accept Vael’s money.

"You’ve got hands," Edran said. "Use them."

So the former Demon King spent two days carrying stones.

No quest rewarded him.

No one thanked him.

It was surprisingly satisfying.

On the third day, Edran brought him water.

That was all.

Vael understood the gesture and did not make it larger than it was.

Seraphina spent her time copying memorial records and correcting errors in church archives.

Morrigan discovered that several villagers were descended from demons who had deserted during the war.

This caused an identity crisis lasting six hours.

"One of them owns a bakery," she whispered to Vael.

"Yes."

"A descendant of Captain Vorak sells sweet buns."

"Yes."

"His grandfather once ate a knight."

"People diversify."

Morrigan stared into the middle distance.

The world had changed while she was busy being loyal to a dead kingdom.

Vael understood.

On the fourth evening, Lyria found him at the memorial.

He was reading the names again.

"You don’t have to do that every night," she said.

"I know."

"Then why?"

"Because I used to remember battles by numbers."

He touched one carved name.

"Numbers are convenient."

Lyria stood beside him.

"They don’t look back."

"No."

For a while they said nothing.

Then Lyria held out his letter.

The awkward letter Vael had written days earlier—the one the System had somehow rated eighty-nine percent romantic.

It was folded along the same careful creases.

Vael’s stomach sank.

"If you are returning it, burn it instead."

"Why?"

"Efficiency."

Lyria rolled her eyes.

"I am not returning it."

She tucked it away again.

Vael stared.

"Then why show me?"

"Because I’ve been deciding whether the man who wrote it exists."

Vael looked at the memorial.

"And?"

"I think he does."

The words were not relief.

Not yet.

Lyria continued before he could speak.

"That doesn’t erase this."

"I know."

"And don’t say that every time."

Vael closed his mouth.

She almost smiled.

"I don’t forgive everything you’ve done."

He nodded once.

"I may never."

Another nod.

"I don’t want your past turned into some tragic excuse either."

"It isn’t."

"Good."

She took a breath.

"But I also don’t want Arthas, or the war, or a dead Demon King to choose my entire life for me."

Vael finally looked at her.

Lyria tapped the sword at her hip.

"I told you that when we met."

"You did."

"So I’m going to make my own bad decision."

Vael’s brow furrowed.

"What decision?"

"I’m traveling with you again."

He stared.

Lyria held up a hand.

"With conditions."

"Of course."

"No more lies about anything important."

Vael winced.

"Define important."

She glared.

"That question is why there are conditions."

"Fair."

"No manipulating me with the System."

"I cannot manipulate you with it."

"Good."

"No using Morrigan to spy on me."

Morrigan, hidden badly behind the memorial, slowly lowered her head.

Lyria threw a pebble without looking.

"Ow."

"And if I ask about your past, you answer unless there’s a real reason not to."

Vael thought about secrets older than several kingdoms.

"Agreed."

Lyria extended a hand.

Vael looked at it.

The System did not appear.

No timer.

No reward.

He took her hand anyway.

Lyria squeezed once.

"Don’t make this weird."

"I wasn’t."

"You were staring at my hand like it was a treaty."

"It has conditions."

"That is not helping."

They walked back toward the inn together.

Halfway there, a courier from the capital arrived on a sweating horse.

He found Seraphina first.

She opened the sealed message.

Her expression changed.

Vael noticed immediately.

"What?"

Seraphina handed him the paper.

ROYAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTIVE.

BLACK-CROWN MANA SIGNATURE HAS RISEN TO 61% OF ARCHIVAL PEAK.

ANCIENT DEMONIC FACTIONS ARE MOBILIZING.

PRIMARY SOURCE LOCATION: OBSIDIAN CROWN REGION.

At the bottom was a second line handwritten by Director Halric.

IF HE REALLY IS VAEL, ASK HIM WHAT HE INTENDS TO DO BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE DECIDES FOR HIM.

Vael read it twice.

Morrigan became very still.

"The throne," she whispered.

The System appeared.

For the first time since Ashfen, it displayed a main quest.

[FINAL ARC UNLOCKED.]

Vael’s expression darkened.

Lyria looked at him.

"What does it say?"

He read the next line.

[Return to the Obsidian Throne.]

Morrigan began crying tears of joy.

Vael sighed.

"Of course."